Shopify's CEO on time management and company culture

What the World Might Look Like in 2100

We tend to think about progress from the present point of view. Either we reflect on the past, making meaning of it through our present lens. Or, we make predictions about the future based on the extrapolation of information we have available to us, once again, in the present.

One interesting way to bend our view of time, though, is to write from the perspective of someone in the past or someone in the future. This article takes the latter approach, giving us an interesting "future perspective" on what the world looks like in 2100, and the revolution we're currently in the middle of creating that will get us there. How does this shape the way you think about the future? 

Validation Is a Mirage

I hear fellow startup founders ask this question all the time: "How do you validate X?" This question has always felt a bit odd to me because you can't really validate anything until you give it a try and see what happens. I appreciate Jason Fried's candor in this post—ultimately, you can't legitimately validate ahead of time. You won't know if what you are doing is right until after you've already done it. Let this truth be liberating for you. All that's left to do is trust your blend of data analysis and intuition, and give things a try. You'll find the validation you're looking for (or not) soon enough. 

Shopify's CEO on Time Management, Culture, and Organizational Design

I really enjoyed this interview with Shopify's Founder & CEO, Tobi Lütke. It covers a ton of insightful information, including:

• What his typical day is like
• How he thinks about time management and meetings
• The intentionality behind Shopify's organizational design
• The power of open source software
• How having kids has changed him
• Why he loves the game Factorio (and gives every Shopify employee a free paid license)

Product Work Beyond Product-Market Fit

What does product work look like beyond product-market fit? This article explains the four types of product work, each with their own set of strategies, processes, and success metrics. Attempting to apply the same playbook to different types of product work beyond product-market fit is a recipe for disaster. If you don't want to fall into this common trap, make sure you understand the differences between the four main types of product work, and how to execute each one successfully. 

Lessons Learned From 1,000 Product Managers

Lenny Rachitsky recently got 1,000 PMs from more than 600 companies to share their thoughts on: the most important PM skills, how much influence they have, and what it takes for them to get promoted. Here are the key takeaways. I extracted a lot of value from the chart in this article that explains what specific skills are most valued at over 50 different companies. 

How to Get a VC's Attention in Your Initial Pitch Meeting

VCs hear thousands of pitches in their careers, but only say "yes" several dozen times. What can you do to set yourself up for them to say "yes" to you? This is a great tweetstorm with 10 tips you can employ to improve your pitch game. A few of my favorites: Be able to tell your story in any order and allow the conversation to take on a life of its own, don't fall into the "1% of the big market" trap, and navigate the valuation conversation with humility. 

Reid Hoffman and Chamath Palihapitiya on the Future of Venture

I enjoyed listening to this thought-provoking conversation between Chamath Palihapitiya, Reid Hoffman, and Ben Casnocha about the future of VC and angel investing. They discuss how they think about risk when evaluating investments, why SPACs are here to stay, best practices for diversification in an angel portfolio, and how to fix what's broken in venture capital. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in funding on either the supply or demand side. 

Entrepreneurship and Loneliness

This is another great conversation with Reid Hoffman about why it's so lonely being an entrepreneur, and how you can find allies to help you combat the stress you'll inevitable face on your founder's journey. I relate to a lot of what Reid shares. If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be to not feel bad about needing support to manage the loneliness and internal strain of entrepreneurship. If you're feeling the weight of being a founder, I highly recommend giving this a listen and heeding the advice.